2 Timothy 4:16 (WEB)

Passage

At my first defense, no one came to help me, but all left me. May it not be held against them.

Nearby Context

2 Timothy 4:14 Alexander, the coppersmith, did much evil to me. The Lord will repay him according to his deeds,

2 Timothy 4:15 of whom you also must beware; for he greatly opposed our words.

2 Timothy 4:16 At my first defense, no one came to help me, but all left me. May it not be held against them.

2 Timothy 4:17 But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me, that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.

2 Timothy 4:18 And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me for his heavenly Kingdom; to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "first", "defense", "came", "help", "left", "held", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "first" and "defense", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "of whom you also must beware for..." into verse 17's "But the Lord stood by me and...", so "first" and "defense" belong inside that flow. In 2 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "first" and "defense" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.